Method for preparing glass bulbs for automatic sprinklers.



A. J. LOEPSINGER. METHOD FOR PREPARING GLASS BULBS FOR AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS.

APPLICATION HLED JULY3, 1912 r m R a A m N w D m E x m I A 5 a 5 A E 9 N w x 1 W Glass Bulbs for n STAS PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT J. LOEPSINGER, OF rnovrnnncn nnonn ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO g-ENERAL FIRE 'EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD FOR PREPARING GLASS BULBS FOR AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

Application filed July 3, 1912. Serial No. 707,469

710 all whom it may concern Be it known that LALBERT J. Lonrsmonn, of the city and county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new and useful Method for Preparing Automatic Sprinklers; and I do hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

In application of even date, Serial No.

the dotted line 3-3 in bodies in its construction a frangible vessel having expansible contents, and which is caused to be opened by the expansive or explosive force of the contents of such fran- 'ble vessel induced by the action of heat. he preferred form of frangible vessel for use in such an automatic sprinkler consists of-a glass bulb with an elongated neck.

The present invention relates to the preparation of such glass bulbs for use in automatic sprinklers of the type referred to, and the invention consists in a novel method of preparing such bulbs, which method is illus trated in the accompanying drawings and willbe described in connection therewith.

Referring to the drawings Figures 1 to 5 inclusive are sectional views of a bulb illustrating the several steps of the method hereinafter described.

The frangible vessel comprises a\glass bulb l provided with an elongated hollow neck 2. A sufficient quantity of liquid, preferably water, is placed in the bulb so that when the same is heated up to a desired high temperature, that is, the temperature at which it is desired the sprinkler shall open, as for example 160 Fah, the bulb and its elongated neck will be completely filled with the liquid at such high temperature, as shown in Fig. 1. The bulb and its contents are then cooled to normal temperature, as for example 70 Fah., which will cause a corresponding lowering of the level of the column of liquid in the neck of the bulb, as shown in Fig. 2.

Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, is then made upon the exterior of the neck at the then level of the column of liquid therein. The water is then entirely removed from the. bulb, leaving the bulb empty but A mark, indicated by with the mark 8-3 on the neck, as shown in Fig. 3. The bulb is then filled with a liquid having a definite prescribed quantity of gas in solution, and preferably with an ammonia gas solution, up to the mark 8-3, which has been made on the neck, the filling of the bulb with the ammonia solution being at normal temperature. As there may be some diiierence in the coeflicient of expansion of the ammonia solution as compared with that of water, it may be desirable to make some allowance for this difference when extreme accuracy is desired, but ordinarily this will not be necessary.

To facilitate the sealing of the bulb the neck is preferably tapered on opposite sides, as shown at-4, 4 in the drawings. Heat is then applied to fuse and close the end of the neck and thus hermetically seal the bulb, as shown in Fig. 5.

If the end of the neck were not tapered as above described, the amount of heat required to heat the quantity of glass at that point might be sufiicient to cause an undue amount of the gas to escape from the bulb during the process of sealing. By tapering the end of the neck as above described,

the quantity of glass to be fused is materially reduced, thereby correspondingly lessening the ainount of heat required to fuse the same, and so as to thereby prevent the escape of any material quantity of the gas from the bulb during the process of sealmg.

By the method of preparing vthe bulb above described the ammonia or other gas solution is prepared outside -of the bulb, and may be so prepared with a definite prescribed ratio of the the ammonia or other pared is placed in the perature.

As above stated, it is preferred to make use of ammonia as the gas to be held in solution by reason of its peculiarly effective explosive properties, but any other suitable gas may be employed, as desired.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. -The method of filling and sealing glass bulbs which consists in first filling the bulb full of a liquid at a desired high temperature, then cooling the bulb and its contents to normal temperature, then emptying the gas to the liquid, and

' more, then cooling bulb, then filling the bulb with a gas solution at normal temperature up to the level or" the liquid When the bulb With'the liquici therein was cooled to normal temperature, and then sealing said bulb.

2. The method of filling and sealing glass bulbs which consists in first filling a bulb full. of e liquid at a desired high tempera the bulb and its contents to normal temperature, then indicating the level of the liquid, then emptying the bulb, then filling the bulb with a gas solution at normal temperature up to such indication, and then sealing said bulb.

3. The method of fillinv and seelingglass bulbs which consists in first fillinga bulb with a neck full temperature, then cooling the bulb and its contents to normal temperature, then melt ing a mark on the neck of the bulb at the level of the liquid, then filling the bulb with a gas solution at normal temperature up tothe mark on the neck, and then settling said. neck.

ALBERT J. LQEPSINGER.

Witnesses:

WV. H; THURSTON, J. H. Ti-iunswon'."

then emptying the bulb,

of liquid at a desired high 

